“Burke shows again that he’s not just a comic genius, but also a fine dramatic writer and storyteller.” – Booklist. “Prose both scabrous and poetic.” – Publishers Weekly. “Proust meets Chandler over a pint of Guinness.” – Spectator. “Among the most memorable books of the year, of any genre.” – Sunday Times. “A hardboiled delight.” – Guardian. “Imagine Donald Westlake and Richard Stark collaborating on a screwball noir.” – Kirkus Reviews. “A cross between Raymond Chandler and Flann O’Brien.” – John Banville.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?” # 1,012: Patrick Shawn Bagley

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...What crime novel would you most like to have written?AMERICAN SKIN by Ken Bruen. If there is a perfect crime novel, this is it.Who do you read for guilty pleasures?I read crime fiction, mainstream fiction, “classics”, fantasy and SF, horror, history, comics, poetry, science, biography ... and never feel guilty about any of it.Most satisfying writing moment?It should come in just a couple of weeks, when I finish the first draft of BITTER WATER BLUES.The best Irish crime novel is …?Declan Hughes’ THE COLOUR OF BLOOD knocked me on my ass.What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?THE BIG O, of course. THE COLOUR OF BLOOD or the novel that preceded it [THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD]. I’m surprised Connolly’s EVERY DEAD THING hasn’t been adapted yet. Worst / best thing about being a writer?Best: I get to work in my boxers with the stereo playing. Worst: Being a Maine writer, having people ask, “You think you’re Stephen King or somethin’?”The pitch for your next novel is …?Here’s my elevator pitch for BITTER WATER BLUES: “Publish it or I’ll split your head open with a rock, wrap you up in a tarp, weigh you down with skidder chains and sink you in the bog behind my house.” Nah, that might be coming on too strong. I guess I’d go with this one: “Take a pair of redneck wannabe hit men, a pissed-off housewife, a bored cop, a killer forced out of retirement and a porn video starring a mob boss’ niece. Mix them all up in a small Maine town and get the hell out of the way.”Who are you reading right now?John Connolly.The three best words to describe your own writing are …?Hill. Billy. Noir.

Crime Always Pays

The Lost and The Blind

“Burke shows again that he’s not just a comic genius, but also a fine dramatic writer and storyteller.” – Booklist

Absolute Zero Cool

“Among the most memorable books of the year, of any genre, was Declan Burke’s ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL ... a fiendishly dark thriller that evokes the best of Flann O’Brien and Bret Easton Ellis.” - Sunday Times

Books To Die For

“As good a collection of short essays on crime fiction as one is likely to find.” - Washington Post